Bumping Into Each Other
by IThoughtMYJokesWereBad
Summary: She was left hurting, with only a few faithful friends to help her. But when she bumps into someone she has known for years, Hermione Granger doesn't expect much to come of it. How wrong the brightest witch of her age is...


**A/N: The drabble queen is back. Haha, just kidding. Here's some Romione for you lovelies. **

The Yule Ball is in three weeks. Just yesterday, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley had spent the whole day messing around with each other's hair, trying to find the perfect hairstyle for each girl. But today is spent with a tub of ice cream and a stack of classic literature. And many tears.

Viktor Krum, Hermione's budding romance, ended it with her. This morning. In the middle of the Great Hall. In front of all three schools.

Even with Silencing Charm on the Room of Requirement blocking out all unwanted noise, the bushy-haired girl can't even read the words printed before her as she wallows in her misery, wrapped tight in a bundle of quilts. Hermione hasn't moved from her place on the procured couch in hours, her eyes staring at page two hundred forty-five but not really seeing. Multiple times, the room conjures distractions, but nothing catches her attention and soon the room gives up.

At one point, Hermione starts daydreaming, remembering the past few months with Viktor. She thinks of all the notes they sent back and forth, all the times they met up by the Black Lake to chat, all study sessions in the library. It's masochistic, but the brunette can't stop. Every day for the past two months saw the two together. What was she going to do now?

It's been two weeks and Hermione has gotten better, but not entirely. In class, she doesn't talk much. Ginny, the twins, and Harry notice, but they seem to be the only ones. Ginny declares girls' nights as often as possible, entailing nights of nail painting, flipping through Witch Weekly, and doing each other's hair. Those nights help, but Hermione still has a cloud of loneliness hanging low and dark over her head.

She has resigned herself to staying in her dorm room on the upcoming ball night. The fact that she no longer has a date means little to nothing to her; Ginny even offered to ditch Neville to go with Hermione, but the brunette told the redhead she was silly. Hermione just didn't want to see the happy couples, especially Viktor and his new, part-veela bimbo. Like the pathetic teenage girl she is, Hermione is going to mope around the dorm with her cat. Best way ever to spend the night of a once-in-a-lifetime event like the Yule Ball.

Today, Hermione offered to stay after class to help Professor Flitwick clean up after lessons and was leaving a little late. Walking in the direction of the Room of Requirement, she ignores the other students in the corridors that are chatting and milling about. She is busy thinking about owling her parents her dress, just so she won't have to look at it anymore, especially now that she has absolutely no use for it. Hermione might even send a note telling them to burn it or return it before she returned home for the summer. She jostles the books in her arms, trying to get a better grip on the large stack. While she is looking down, she bumps into something. The books fall to the ground, sliding all over the floor in such a cliché manner.

Two hands hold her shoulders, balancing her and preventing her from falling to the floor with her numerous books. Looking up, her brown eyes meet crystal blue ones and she recognizes the boy she has bumped into as none other than Ron.

"Sorry," Ron says, his eyes turning to the ground. He notices her books and stoops to pick them up at the same time as Hermione. The two bump heads, eliciting a groan from both of Hogwarts students, before Ron lets out a soft chuckle. "We really have to stop bumping into each other," he jokes with an embarrassed laugh, and Hermione cracks a smile, probably the first true one in two weeks. "Sorry, that was cheesy," he says as he hands over her books, now back in a neat stack, meeting Hermione's eyes.

She feels her smile grow. "Cheesy's cute," she says, taking the stack from him.

A blush dances across his freckled cheeks and he rubs the back of his reddening neck. "Um, I was wondering something…" he trails off, his voice getting very faint.

Confusion creates a pucker in between brown eyebrows as Hermione looks at Ron, who looks to be growing uncomfortable. "Are you feeling okay, Ron?" she asks, placing a hand on his shoulder to get him to look at her again.

His eyes shift upward to hers and he drops his hand from his neck. "I was wondering if you had a date to the ball?" he asks slowly and softly.

Hermione freezes. Her hand drops from his arm as if burned. "Erm," she stutters out, not knowing how to respond. Just behind Ron, she can see the Room of Requirement's entrance, almost beckoning her from the terribly awkward situation she has found herself in.

Ron immediately backtracks, his words coming out in a blur. "I'm sorry. Forget I said anything. I just…I just thought that you might like someone to go with, after that _bloody jerk_…" Hermione can tell he's trying to stay cool, but his eyes betray him, shining with hope.

Quickly, she thinks it over. Ron has always been there for her, even if he was a pain at times…_most _times. She has always thought him handsome, if she was honest with herself. And he was being really sweet to her, even calling Viktor, his once-idol, a jerk…that's more than anyone else at school had done. A smile reappears on Hermione's face.

"You know what, Ron? I'd love to have a date to the ball. Maybe you could hook me up with someone…?" Hermione tosses him a wink, which results in a magnificent smile from him.

"I think I know just the guy," he says. The two skip dinner, staying in the Room of Requirement until the late hours of the night, having to stealthily sneak back into Gryffindor Tower (where was Harry's invisibility cloak when they needed it?). But it was all worth it.

Viktor who?


End file.
